PlayStation.Blog

Share of the Week: Duality

O’Dell Harmon Jr. (he/him) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:00:26 +0000

Last week, we asked players to share Duality using reflections, opposites, or anything that comes in pairs using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here’s are this week’s highlights:

Crimsonashtree shares two different Conor’s in Detroit: Become Human

ContinuousGojo shares Cal Kestis undercover in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Mur4dQ shares Mio and Zoe escaping a city in Split Fiction

Rorottino shares Sam in a climactic battle in Death Stranding

Call_me_xavii shares Atsu and her mother in Ghost of Yōtei

Parmindernangla shares Miles and Peter in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Saros
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on June 17, 2026

Next week, Saros takes the spotlight. With the new photo mode update share your favorite moments from exploring Carcosa using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis hands-on report

Phil Hornshaw — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:00:07 +0000

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a fresh, reimagined take on Lara Croft’s first adventure. I recently played about an hour of Legacy of Atlantis at Summer Game Fest 2026, and saw first-hand how developers Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog are bringing elements from the original game and its first remake, 2007’s Tomb Raider Anniversary, into the modern era.

The preview took me to the Lost Valley area in Peru, where I was tasked with solving a new version of Tomb Raider’s iconic cog puzzle. Here, two cogs are needed to reconnect a mechanism that can stop the flow of a nearby waterfall, revealing the door that will let her deeper into the hidden jungle. The mechanism sits in a small pond, and while the first cog is easy to come by, you’ll have to discover the second on your own.

This first portion of the Lost Valley contains no combat, instead putting an emphasis on finding your way through an area full of side paths that can lead you to collectibles and hidden items. Pointedly, Legacy of Atlantis provides little guidance on where to find your missing cog. Instead, you have to use clues in the environment to figure out where to go for yourself. It’s an intentional choice that plays into Lara’s character as an archaeologist and explorer — and finding the right path through the area was, at times, pretty difficult.

“If we put you in the boots of Lara Croft, and then hand you a map, or give you Waze directions on where to go, you’re going to feel like, ‘Where’s the challenge in that? Where’s the connection to the character and the headspace that she’s at?'” said Jeff Adams, Experience Director at Crystal Dynamics, during an interview after my session.

But Game Director Raul Siqueira at Crystal Dynamics also noted that the team didn’t want to give the impression that Legacy of Atlantis is meant to be a difficult game. Instead, he said, it’s meant to give players the tools they need to create the experience they enjoy, including the ability to increase guidance, and to set the difficulty of puzzles and combat independent from one another.

Exploring is its own reward, too. You can find caves by diving down into the pool by hitting Circle while you’re swimming, or discover handholds in walls that lead into ruined buildings, and more. Many of the items to be found yielded rare materials that suggested crafting will be a big part of Lara’s experience, too, although it wasn’t part of the demo.

As in the past, Lara is an acrobatic explorer, hanging off and leaping between ledges with X and using a grappling hook to cross large gaps with Triangle. You’ll even sometimes swing between horizontal poles, timing when to hit X to let go at just the right moment.

Though it took a while of searching, I eventually found my way to the last gear, stuck to an ancient wooden contraption. I found a path to climb up and swing across to the gear so Lara could kick it loose, knocking it down into the stream so it would flow down to the mechanism below. After aligning the cogs, the ancient machine started working, the waterfall closed off, and Lara made her way through the doors.

Moments later, I stepped back into the jungle — only for velociraptors to leap from the foliage and attack. Here, I finally got to fire away with Lara’s classic dual pistols, which unload as you hold down R2. You can either fire the guns one at a time while on the run, or tighten your aim and go full bore by holding L2 while you shoot.

The raptors are quick, fearsome predators, heaving themselves at Lara with vicious attacks, and it quickly became clear that the key to combat in Legacy of Atlantis is to stay mobile and aggressive yourself. When you press Circle, Lara will dive, roll, and cartwheel to deftly escape incoming attacks.

Between the exploration elements like swinging from poles, Lara’s long jumps, and the acrobatic dodges and dives in combat, Legacy of Atlantis takes on a bit of a throwback feel. Lara has a slight floatiness that gives the impression of how she felt to control in older Tomb Raider games. It’s a fun melding of modern game design and old-school game feel.

“We did look at combat from the lenses of, like, what did we do during the Survivor era [during the last three games] that made sense for Lara at that time in her life, that may not make sense for Lara at the top of her game, which is where we find her in Legacy of Atlantis?” Siqueira told me. “So we were very conscious of, Lara in combat needs to move the same way that she moves in traversal, she needs to move the same way that she does with her puzzles, it needs to be distinctively hers, it needs to have like all the flourishes that you expect, the acrobatics — everything that you want that power fantasy of Lara Croft to be needs to be present.”

As you attack enemies, you’ll earn Focus, which you can then spend by hitting R1. Doing so lets Lara do a gymnastic flip while time briefly slows, allowing you to fire your guns while dodging. Siqueira said the developers used Focus to help give players an advantage over enemies, so they wouldn’t feel like Lara’s distinct, acrobatic movements were leaving them vulnerable.

After pushing down the path and fighting off a few more groups of dinosaurs, things really took a turn. A massive tyrannosaurus rex burst through the trees, triggering a chase scene as Lara and the raptors both went sprinting away from its snapping jaws. While this was a set piece moment, it was still challenging, requiring me to make a careful leap as Lara went sliding down a muddy hill, or to quickly climb a wall, to avoid becoming a snack. The demo ended soon after on a heart-pumping cliffhanger as the T-rex closed in.

During my brief time with it, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis did a lot to capture the old-school feeling of the Tomb Raider series, but with a lot of modern sensibilities. You can leap into Lara Croft’s first adventure yourself when Legacy of Atlantis launches on February 12, 2027.

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for June: Final Fantasy XVI, Sonic X Shadow Generations, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and more

Adam Michel — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:30:33 +0000

This month, explore the once-prosperous dark fantasy world of Valisthea in the grip of a blight in Final Fantasy XVI, spin dash through the dark past of the one known as the ultimate lifeform in Sonic X Shadow Generations, work your way up from a humble blacksmith’s forge in medieval Bohemia in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, or forge allies and pursue suspects across two versions of reality in Life is Strange: Double Exposure. All these titles and more are available in June’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup*. Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus Premium welcomes rhythm classic Gitaroo Man.

We’re exploring new ways to deliver PlayStation Plus Game Catalog titles in select markets. Games will be available on varying dates as noted below in the US, the UK and Japan. The full lineup will be available to play on June 16 in all other regions.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog

Final Fantasy XVI | PS5

The 16th standalone entry in the legendary Final Fantasy series marks a darker turn for the RPG franchise, with a complex tale of revenge, power struggles and unavoidable tragedy. Play as Clive Rosfield, First Shield of Rosaria and guardian of his younger brother Joshua, the Dominant of the Eikon Phoenix, in the first fully-fledged action-RPG in the mainline Final Fantasy series. Explore the diverse land of Valisthea and use the spectacular Eikonic powers at your disposal to overcome powerful enemies.

Final Fantasy XVI will be available globally June 16.

Sonic X Shadow Generations | PS5, PS4

When Shadow’s old nemesis, Black Doom, reemerges and threatens to take over the world, Shadow must journey into his own past, confront painful memories, face familiar foes and unlock new powers to save the world and prove why he’s known as the Ultimate Lifeform. Play a complete campaign as Shadow to dive into his dark past and confront familiar foes to save the world and prove why he’s known as the ultimate lifeform. Sonic X Shadow Generations also includes a complete remaster of the classic hit Sonic Generations, featuring newly remastered versions of iconic 2D and 3D stages with upgraded visuals and bonus content.

Sonic X Shadow Generations will be available today, June 10 in the US and the UK, and June 11 in Japan.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance | PS5, PS4

(Re)discover Henry’s saga from the start in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the story-driven open-world RPG set in medieval Bohemia. You are Henry, son of a blacksmith, thrust into a raging civil war that took away your family and entire village. Narrowly escaping this brutal attack, you grab your sword to fight back. Avenge your parents’ death as you battle invading forces, go on game-changing quests, and make influential choices that will have an everlasting impact. The PS5 version of Kingdom Come: Deliverance now features graphical updates including 4K resolution, improved framerate, high-resolution textures and more. Medieval Bohemia has never been so beautiful.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance will be available June 23 in the US, the UK and Japan.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure | PS5

Step into an all-new adventure in the Life is Strange series starring the original game’s protagonist Max Caulfield. Photographer-in-residence at the prestigious Caledon University, she discovers her closest new friend, Safi, dead in the snow. Murdered. To save her, Max tries to rewind time – a power she’s not used in years. Instead, she opens the way to a parallel timeline where Safi is still alive, and still in danger. Forge allies and pursue suspects across two versions of reality, shaping both timelines through unforgettable choices.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure will be available June 23 in the US, the UK and Japan.

Farming Simulator 25 | PS5

Whether you build your legacy single-handedly or cooperatively in multiplayer – you decide: Farming Simulator 25 invites you to join the rewarding farm life. With the introduction of rice farming, spinach and other crops, as well as new environments in East Asia, North America and Central Europe, the family-friendly series takes another giant leap forward. Expand your ever-growing farm empire with new animals, production chains, construction missions, and more than 400 authentic machines from 150 top agricultural brands. Enjoy improved graphics and physics for a more immersive, atmospheric and relaxing virtual farming experience.

Farming Simulator 25 will be available June 30 in the US, the UK and Japan.

Blades of Fire | PS5

You are Aran de Lira, the last warrior capable of forging true steel in a world where metal turns to stone. Your journey is not about collecting weapons, but about forging them through intent, sacrifice, and consequence, and surviving long enough to master their weight. Combat is deliberate and unforgiving. Every strike commits you. Every mistake costs you. Victory is earned through patience, positioning, and understanding both your enemy and the blade you forged to face them. Weapons are forged at the anvil through deliberate choices that permanently shape their behavior, balance, and purpose.

Blades of Fire will be available June 30 in the US, the UK and Japan.

Black Desert | PS5

Fight back the forces that threaten the world or test your might against other adventurers in Black Desert, Pearl Abyss’s open-world MMORPG. From the scorching heat of a desert metropolis to the serene peace of hidden forest enclaves, a thrilling story follows wherever your footsteps take you. Lead your guild to victory in battle to earn great renown and greater wealth. With everything from breathtaking combat and siege wars, to exploration and a variety of life-skill content such as trade, fishing, horse training, alchemy, cooking, and gathering – embark on the adventure you’ve truly been longing for.

Black Desert will be available June 30 in the US, the UK and Japan.

PlayStation Plus Premium

Gitaroo Man | PS5, PS4

The classic PlayStation 2 rhythm game is back to rock your world! Rhythm game hero Gitaroo-Man comes to PS4 and PS5 for the very first time. Go from loser to legend with the mythical Gitaroo, an instrument-turned-weapon that can take down any enemy with the power of music. Press, pitch, and play to the rhythm as the young protagonist U-1 fights his way through enemies and gains confidence in himself along the way. Enjoy the unique and heartwarming atmosphere, rock out to the classic soundtrack, and lose yourself in the iconic, colorful designs created by famed Japanese illustrator 326.

Gitaroo Man will be available globally June 16.

*PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe lineups may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day. Digital PS5 games available to stream from your library will vary over time, region, and country.

Gran Turismo 7 free update 1.70: choose Your Le Mans Hypercar

David Robinson — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:35 +0000

Gran Turismo 7 is about more than finishing 1st — it’s about mastering what you love.

Today marks the start of Endurance racing’s biggest stage: The 24-hour Le Mans race. To help players get into the feeling, this game update drops a stacked grid of modern legends, from the Ferrari 499P that brought the Prancing Horse back to glory, to Porsche’s title winning 963, BMW’s hybrid V8 powerhouse, and Peugeot’s boundary pushing 9X8, plus a 911 Turbo S Safety Car to keep it all in line.

Also arriving in Update 1.70, a new Menu, five new World Circuits events including the legendary 24 Heures du Mans Racing Circuit. All of this will be available for free beginning today at 11:00pm PDT / June 11 at 7:00am BST / 3:00pm JST*.

Want to know which Hypercar from this update best suits your personality? Answer a few quick questions and keep track of your answers. We’ll match a Hypercar built for your style.

New Cars**

The Quiz (5 Questions)

Q1) Your favorite “win” in GT is…

Setting a clean lap and watching the delta go green
Out-strategizing everyone over a long race
A fearless pass that makes the replay look unreal
Nailing the perfect photo/livery and sharing it
Keeping the race clean, controlled, and penalty‑free

Q2) You’d rather drive a car that feels…

Surgical and precise
Unshakeable and stable
Aggressive and alive
Weird, unique, and totally different
Predictable, stable, and trustworthy

Q3) Your ideal track is…

Technical with rhythm sections
A long endurance test (practice → qualify → race)
High-speed with heavy braking zones
Anything cinematic with great lighting (sunset/night)
Clear visibility, strong flow, and consistency

Q4) When the car feels “off,” you…

Adjust brake balance and keep pushing
Think tires/fuel/consistency first
Crank the setup and send it
Build a new livery and try again
Slow things down until everything feels right again

Q5) Your “one more run” trigger is…

“I can find 0.2s.”
“I can go longer without mistakes.”
“I can take that corner faster.”
“I can make this look cooler.”
“I can make this cleaner.”

Want to learn more about June Update 1.70? Then head over to gran-turismo.com.

If you’re new to GT and want to get a feel for it, download My First GT on the PlayStation store for free and hop into the game!*Internet connection required for update.

**Credits (paid or via game progression) required to purchase vehicles.

Summer Game Fest 2026: Hands-on and more details on 11 upcoming PS5 games

Phil Hornshaw — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:00:52 +0000

Summer Game Fest Play Days featured a ton of new titles this year, with developers and publishers giving lots of chances to see, and play, a variety of games coming to PS5. I visited SGF Play Days this year to see these upcoming titles in action, and go hands-on with many of them. Here’s everything I played and saw at Summer Game Fest.

Alien: Isolation 2 | Release Date: TBD

Publisher: Sega | Developer: Creative Assembly

More than a decade after the original was released, Alien: Isolation 2 slithered through a vent to terrify at SGF. I played the game’s prologue, taking on the role of a Weyland-Yutani executive who just arrived on the remote colony planet that serves as the game’s setting. As you’re riding in a rover with two other characters, there’s suddenly a flash and a nearby explosion. The three of you pile out of the rover and you set out into the woods to try to find out what happened.

As you make your way through the barren forest, you soon come across the site of what looks like a crashed ship. Alien: Isolation fans will quickly realize this isn’t a ship, it’s the Project KG-348 lab that Amanda Ripley jettisoned from Savastopol station in the first game. That’s the lab where she trapped the alien that had hunted her for the entire first half of Alien: Isolation before she sent it off into space. Of course, the ill-fated group of humans venture inside.

After you spend some time exploring and restarting the lab’s power with similar chunky, tactile controls as in the original game, like mashing X to start a generator, the creature reveals itself, dropping from the vents above and stomping away, barely missing you.

At least in this prologue, Alien: Isolation 2 feels just like its predecessor. You can crouch to stay tow and quiet with Circle, keep out of sight by ducking behind objects and under tables, and peek around objects to get an eye on the creature by holding L1 and using the analog stick. You can also use tools to distract the xenomorph; in the prologue, I found a couple of flares that could be lit and thrown to draw its attention.

But with no motion tracker, you have to rely on your senses to keep track of the alien and avoid its lethal pursuit. The creature is just as smart as it was before, too — it’ll search for you and listen for your footsteps, and even open cabinets or look under tables if it suspects you’re around. I narrowly missed getting grabbed when the creature decided to duck down and check the table I’d been cowering beneath as it walked by. And just like in the last game, you can’t kill the alien; you can only avoid it and hide from it.

Control Resonant | Release Date: September 24, 2026

Publisher: Remedy Entertainment | Developer: Remedy Entertainment

Control Resonant takes some big steps forward from Remedy Entertainment’s 2019 game, reframing many of its underlying ideas as a melee-focused action-RPG. I played for about 90 minutes and found it satisfyingly fast and frenetic, and just as fascinatingly weird as its predecessor.

My hands-on demo began at the start of the game, taking on the role of protagonist Dylan Faden. After a stalemate battle during the last seven years, The Oldest House has fallen to the Hiss, and the remaining agents of the Federal Bureau of Control evacuate into New York City to face a new threat.

Despite his past, Dylan pledges to help fight the Hiss and correct the damage he helped cause. He’s also searching for his sister, Control protagonist Jesse. Though she’s not the protagonist, Jesse is a big part of the story, from what I saw. Dylan is in contact with Jesse in a way that seems to transcend physical space, just as characters sometimes do in Control and Alan Wake 2.

Control Resonant gets you right into the action, using Dylan’s parautilitarian abilities and his shapeshifting weapon, the Aberrant, to take the fight to the Hiss. After just a few minutes, I unlocked some powerful movement abilities: hitting Circle lets you dash twice before touching the ground, and X lets you double-jump. Holding X allows you to levitate briefly in the air. All those abilities together make you incredibly mobile, able to leap up to rooftops, cross huge gaps, and chase down enemies.

Combat is both easy to pick up and seems to offer a high skill ceiling. Hitting Square swings the Aberrant for your standard strike, while Triangle activates a secondary form you choose, so you can build combos. Other powerful paranatural abilities are mapped to L1, R1, and R2. Battles are often about darting around, taking down enemies quickly with your attacks, while you work to dodge incoming strikes and use your ridiculous mobility to control the flow of combat. As in Control, you’re rewarded for your pure aggression; enemies drop healing items as you defeat them to keep you going.

The demo concluded with a boss fight against a huge head cobbled together from road signs, steel girders, and chunks of concrete, using them as projectiles or swinging debris to take Dylan out. It highlighted both the scale of what you’ll face and how your quick reactions and smart use of Dylan’s abilities will let you take on any threat.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword | Release Date: September 25, 2026

Publisher: Capcom | Developer: Capcom

Capcom provided a new chance to go hands-on with Onimusha: Way of the Sword at SGF, with this look showing off the game’s more open areas, as opposed to the more linear demo we saw previously.

This demo takes protagonist Musashi to a temple and the surrounding village in Kyoto, where he encounters people with strange injuries and big smiles. Turns out, people are visiting the temple to ask for changes in their fates, but whatever’s answering their prayers is twisting their wishes. One man asks to be free of knee pain, and loses his leg — no knee, no pain. Musashi and his talking, supernatural Oni gauntlet quickly surmise that a demonic Genma is impersonating the temple’s deity and set out to cleanse it.

In addition to giving another chance to practice Onimusha’s intense sword combat, with its many defensive maneuvers that allow you to break an opponent, deflect or parry their strikes, and execute them in brutal fashion, this demo puts an emphasis on exploration. The area around the temple includes a number of side paths where you’ll encounter enemies and can search for crafting materials or other items to strengthen Musashi.

The demo culminates in a tough boss fight with the Genma, who reveals they’re using wishes to harvest body parts from the unsuspecting, enthralled villagers. Like all the toughest fights in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the fight relies heavily on perfectly dodging with Circle, parrying with L1, and deflecting by holding L1 and pressing X. The boss brings some intense attacks of its own, like using supernatural tentacles that will grab and drop boulders and even whole houses on Musashi.

Capcom also showed off more of Onimusha in a hands-off theater presentation, which put Musashi in another area he was free to explore, larger than the temple area, complete with a variety of activities to seek out and complete. In that demo, we saw Musashi take on what looked like a side mission to clear the demonic corruption that had overtaken a kabuki stage, battling a pair of tough bosses along the way.

From what I played and saw, it looks like Onimusha: Way of the Sword will offer a game world that will be full of things to discover and tough battles that will test your skills.

Resident Evil Veronica | Release Date: TBD

Publisher: Capcom | Developer: Capcom

The next game in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil Veronica, continues the publisher’s long list of remakes of classic titles in the series, this time modernizing 2000’s Resident Evil: Code Veronica.

First and foremost, Hirabayashi confirmed that Resident Evil: Veronica will be a third-person game. While the Veronica trailer revealed at SGF plays from a first-person perspective and Capcom’s last Resident Evil game, Requiem, featured both first-person and third-person options, it sounds like we can expect RE: Veronica to stick close to the original when it comes to how you’ll play it.

Capcom didn’t show anything of Resident Evil Veronica at SGF beyond its announcement trailer, but it did offer a presentation from Producer Yoshiaka Hirabayashi, who provided a little more insight.

Hirabayashi confirmed that Resident Evil Veronica will be a third-person game, it’s being developed by the team that remade Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, and emphasized that Capcom sees Veronica as just as critical to the series as the numbered titles. That’s particularly true, he said, because the story involves so many characters who are important to the series — namely, protagonists Claire Redfield and her brother Chris, and antagonist Albert Wesker.

We can also expect Resident Evil Veronica to retell the story of the original Code Veronica while bringing it more in line with the series’ overall lore and storytelling, Hirabayashi said.

“The original Code Veronica was released in the year 2000, so since the year 2000, of course, there have been many entries in the Resident Evil series, and the history of the world, the lore, and the story of Resident Evil have proportionally increased,” he said. “So, as you might have noticed in other remake titles, when we do revisit those older titles, we do kind of retune some things, so that there’s more continuity and there’s more of a connection to the overall lore of the universe that’s been established. So that’s true for other entries, and that’s going to be true for this one as well.”

We’ll have to wait for more concrete details on Resident Evil Veronica, but if the launch trailer and past Resident Evil remakes are any indication, horror fans have a lot to look forward to.

SAW: Genesis | Release Date: TBD

Publisher: Bloober Team | Developer: Anshar Studios, Broken Mirror Games

Publisher Bloober Team surprised lots of fans with the announcement of SAW: Genesis, a three-versus-one asymmetrical horror game from Anshar Studios and Broken Mirror Games. In a hands-off demo, Bloober and Anshar explained how Genesis channels the SAW franchise for a different approach to battles between killers and survivors.

First and foremost, the “one” in this asymmetrical horror game, the Judge, isn’t a killer, per se, and is actually at a disadvantage against the other players, known as the Accused, in a direct confrontation. Instead, the Judge is a mastermind, moving around the procedurally generated map to set traps for the other players. The Judge has access to hidden areas like tunnels and balconies the other players can’t get to, and while the Judge doesn’t know where the other players are, they can figure it out by listening for telltale signs like footsteps.

The goal of the Judge is to isolate players, ambush and immobilize them, and dump them down chutes into deadly Retribution Traps. These are the sorts of elaborate torture devices the SAW series is known for, and to escape, players will either need the help of their fellow Accused, or to sacrifice a part of their body to stave off death. But those sacrifices will have consequences; if you give up some fingers to escape a trap with your life, you won’t be able to do things like turn valves that might open doors, and your friends will need to help you.

Meanwhile, the Accused must survive and escape, and the best way to do that is by working together to save each other from traps and minimize how much each player is hurt individually. Finding items like weapons can give the Accused an edge if they catch the Judge in the open, or if the Judge summons a powerful accomplice character to help them.

SAW: Genesis also adds new lore to the SAW franchise; it’s set in the 1920s, and its Judge character is the person who inspired SAW’s iconic, trap-deploying villain, Jigsaw. Bloober said it intends for SAW: Genesis to be completely canonical to the SAW movies, so for fans, SAW: Genesis looks to be a fascinating addition to the series’ lore, as well as a scary good time with friends.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 | Release Date: TBD

Publisher: Daybreak Game Company | Developer: Cold Iron Games

Set five years after the events of the Aliens: Fireteam Elite, the sequel continues to capture the feeling that you’re seconds from being overwhelmed by hordes of sleek, deadly xenomorphs, just like in the 1986 movie from which it draws inspiration. We played a mission from the middle of Fireteam Elite 2’s campaign, in which we were tasked with making our way through a derelict spaceship overrun by aliens and aggressive Weyland Yutani androids.

Fireteam Elite 2 expands your cooperative third-person shooter squad from three to four, but you’ll face huge hordes of creatures as you make your way through missions. Our fireteam faced off against some familiar enemies, including standard xenos, huge and powerful Drones, and hidden, stalking Prowlers, as well as baton-wielding synthetics and more capable synths equipped with rifles or riot shields. But we also faced a few new enemies, including xenomorphs with huge acid sacs growing from their heads whose goal is to get close and explode on you, and armored, spider-like robots that take quite a bit of firepower to put down.

To aid in your battle, you can find weapons and items as in the last game, like sentry turrets and health packs. Scour each mission and you can also nab new ammo types, such as incendiary rounds, cryo rounds, and electrical rounds, which make your weapons more effective against certain enemies — at least until they run out.

Developer Cold Iron Studios has made some changes to character classes, but it sounds like they’ll be even more customizable than they were in the last game. I played a medic, which had the capability of dropping a portable healing device that could help my teammates deal with their injuries, but only temporarily since it dispensed health that would slowly decay over time, and an Overclock ability that sped up the reloading and weapon switching of anyone nearby. I saw a few other abilities in action, too, like the Machinist’s deployable flying drone, as well as grenades that could freeze enemies or hit them with electrical bursts.

It sounds like Fireteam Elite 2 is making a lot of changes that were requested by fans of the first game, while maintaining the first’s white-knuckle action and challenge. fully expect to get overrun by the universe’s greatest killing machine when the Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is released.

Crazy Taxi: World Tour | Release Date: 2027

Publisher: Sega | Developer: Sega

Crazy Taxi World Tour revitalizes Sega’s beloved arcade driving franchise, and it even brings back at least some of the killer ’90s bands that helped define the series. In a hands-off presentation from Director Kenji Kanno, we got a few more details about what looks to be a big expansion on the ridiculous original.

The main focus in Crazy Taxi World Tour is on its story mode, which spans five locations in five different countries — hence the “world tour.” While Kanno wouldn’t share many details, we do know that the story kicks off when the protagonist Axel’s car is stolen, kicking off his globe-trotting adventure to retrieve it. With World Tour, the development team is taking the opportunity to build on the characters of Crazy Taxi, expanding on their personalities and backstories, as well as the lore of the series overall.

As in the original games, a big part of the action will be picking up passengers and delivering them to their destinations, with the speediest, most ridiculous driving you can manage. Your taxi is decked out with new abilities, like boosting and reversing with the quick back dash. But there’s more to the experience than earning CRAZY money. You’ll also meet different characters and help them out with special activities, like helping deliver a huge stack of pizzas without losing them all over the street, and using your taxi to help a fisherman cast his line ridiculously far, and then hitting reverse to haul in some monster catches. Some of those activities will be silly, and others will be a little more serious, but they all play into Kanno’s vision of creating cities that feel alive with people as you drive, drift, and crash through them.

World Tour is also helping the Crazy Taxi developers realize some features that never made it into past games — namely multiplayer, which they couldn’t manage in Crazy Taxi 2 or 3 because of technical limitations.

Though there’s a lot we still don’t know, the presentation did show off a few other elements we can expect, like odd jobs to complete and a progression system that’ll have you leveling up as you complete fares and tasks. And Kanno also confirmed that this time, you can drive in the ocean.

gen Atlas | Release Date TBD

Publisher: Epic Games | Developer: genDesign

The next title from acclaimed developer Fumito Ueda received a second trailer during the SGF Showcase, but it’s still just as cryptic as when it was announced last year at The Game Awards. I got to see a little more than what appeared in the trailer in a hands-off demo, and spoke to Ueda about what players can expect from the new game.

In gen Atlas, you awake on a world filled with technologically advanced ruins, with hulking, destroyed mechanical figures scattered across it — a world seemingly abandoned by humanity. What happened here and why everyone is gone is up to you to discover, and as the trailer shows, part of how you’ll do that is by uncovering the head of a giant robot. From what we’ve seen so far, the robot will help you to get around and explore the world, and sometimes allow you to commandeer titanic robot bodies to use for various functions, including solving puzzles and fighting other colossal machines.

Ueda wouldn’t share too much about the action-adventure game, but did say there are a number of different ways you’ll get around and engage with the world, both with and without the help of the robot, striking a balance between exploration and solving puzzles.

While Ueda’s previous games — Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian — formed a sort of trilogy, with similar settings, characters, and ideas, you shouldn’t expect gen Atlas to be another riff on similar ideas. In fact, Ueda said the sci-fi setting and the focus on giant robots were the result of him trying to do something new, different, and unexpected.

“If I put myself in the shoes of the player or a fan that’s been following my own games, I think I would actually want something of a surprise or something that is unexpected of an Ueda game, and I feel the same way,” Ueda said. “If I deliver something that’s sort of on the extension of what I’ve made, I might actually not be as excited, to be quite honest. So I want to keep that sort of excitement and even try to deliver beyond people’s imagination and expectation.”

Ueda said he hopes to be the kind of creator whose audiences can’t predict what he’ll make next. With that in mind, we’ll have to wait to see exactly what kind of experience and mystery Ueda delivers in gen Atlas.

Silent Hill: Townfall | Release Date: September 24, 2026

Publisher: Annapurna Interactive, Konami | Developer: Screen Burn Interactive

Developer Screen Burn didn’t provide a chance to play Silent Hill: Townfall at SGF this year, but it did offer a hands-off demo that gave a pretty good sense of how you’ll make your way through its foggy, frightening Scottish town.

Central to the first-person experience in Townfall is its portable TV set, Screen Burn’s riff on Silent Hill’s classic, staticky radio. In past games, the radio’s white noise grows louder as enemies draw close, giving you a sense of when you’re about to be attacked as you make your way through the town’s thick fog. In Townfall, the TV helps you deal with enemies, while also providing you with navigational clues and other useful information.

In the live demo I watched, protagonist Simon could tune the TV to find signals within the static, including a message from a woman called Zoe, which draws him on through the town. The signal provided still images of locations and objects nearby, giving Simon clues as to where he should go. Zoe’s message was coming from a nearby house, and to get there, he followed the images past some stalls and a tree planted in the middle of the concrete walkway, before finding an alley shown in the images and making his way to the house’s back door. Inside, we saw that Simon will be working to solve puzzles in true Silent Hill fashion, including working to reset an electrical breaker.

Later, Simon used the TV for a different purpose: to spot one of Townfall’s hideous, fleshy monsters. Tuning the TV to an enemy’s signal lets you see it through walls, allowing you to gauge where it is in the fog so that you can sneak by. Evasion will be a big part of how you make your way through Townfall — using peek controls to carefully check around corners will be an important way to avoid getting got as you explore.

Soon after, Simon found a plank of wood to use as a melee weapon to show off Townfall’s melee combat, which is fast and brutal. While it’s possible to block incoming attacks as you fight, it took only a few hits for Simon to fall, suggesting that fights like this are extremely risky and might be best avoided.

While my look at Silent Hill: Townfall was brief, it looks like an intriguing and frightening take on the franchise’s formula, and I can’t wait to see more.

Sonic Pico Park | Release Date TBD

Publisher: Sega | Developer: Teco Park Inc.

The next entry into the Pico Park series sees Sonic and his pals teaming up for some cooperative multiplayer chaos. Along with three other journalists, I played the eight quick stages that make up Sonic Pico Park’s tutorial, which showed off how you’ll control Sonic characters and cooperate to solve various deceptively simple-looking puzzles.

When you jump into Sonic Pico Park with three friends, you’ll each play a different character from the Sonic universe: Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Sonic the Hedgehog himself. All of them are speedy runners and can spin dash when you hit Circle.

Working together is key, since the screen only advances forward when all four characters head to the right, and some obstacles will require all of you to surmount them. We quickly ran into walls that were too high for a single character to climb, requiring us to jump on each other’s heads to make a tower to get one person over, or bridges that would collapse if we didn’t all quickly sprint across them at the same time.

One puzzle needed a character to spin-dash up a ramp to a high platform, and three of us needed to form a wall by standing on each other’s heads so the fourth could use us to dash up. In another, the only way to cross a long gap was with Tails’ flight ability. Tails can carry another character if you hit X to jump up and catch him, and other characters can hold onto the first one — but with all four characters weighing him down, Tails starts to lose altitude from the strain, so we had to quickly cover the gap before we fell.

Classic elements of Sonic games make appearances in Sonic Pico Park’s puzzles. We needed to use spring launchers to cross a big gap in one puzzle, while avoiding the ones that were facing in the wrong directions and could send some of us bouncing off each other. And in true Sonic fashion, sometimes, the solution to the problem is speed.

Where Sonic Pico Park got really fun was in the chaos that four characters trying to work together can create. Even in the first few levels, we saw plenty of trouble as we knocked each other into pits or spikes in goofy fashion, and I can only imagine how more complex levels will create even more ridiculous situations.

Virtua Fighter Crossroads | Release Date: 2027

Publisher: Sega | Developer: RGG Studio

The Virtua Fighter series is more than 30 years old, but it’s getting an entirely new spin with Virtua Fighter Crossroads. The new title combines what fans love about the series — its pitched, 3D fighting game battles — with the storytelling and worldbuilding developer RGG Studio is known for.

Sega brought journalists in for a hands-off presentation with Creative Director Riichiro Yamada that expanded on the trailer launched during SGF. Crossroads takes place 10 or more years in the future from Virtua Fighter 5, and features four protagonists, each a fighter living in the fictional South Asian country of Vilaspara. We’ve primarily seen Cielo, the Paraguayan-American fighter who serves as the beginning, relatable protagonist in the story. But while Cielo’s story is one of personal growth as he works to make a name for himself as a fighter, expect to see the story take darker turns and change tones with the other characters.

Player choice is going to be a major part of the single-player experience, with a branching narrative that can change depending on the things you do, the choices you make, and the relationships you build, like those between Cielo and his friends. And while you’ll meet other legendary Virtua Fighter characters along the way, they may be friend or foe — how they treat you and what happens with them might be dependent on your actions. Above all, though, Yamada said the team wants Crossroads to be grounded and believable within the Virtua Fighter universe.

Combat in Crossroads takes on the classic Virtua Fighter flare, flipping to a side-on camera perspective when you start throwing punches and kicks. You’ll fight in both one-on-one battles and against groups of enemies, but Yamada said the team has worked to mix action-adventure combat with Virtua Fighter’s approach, and to modernize it.

In addition to the single-player campaign, there’s also a one-on-one player-versus-player mode, and Yamada said part of the idea behind Crossroads is to create ways for players to develop their fighting game skills in the campaign, so they can take them into battle with their friends. Above all, he said, the team wants the game to be fun and approachable, whether they’re long-time Virtua Fighter fans or just coming to the series for the first time.

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We’ll add even more games to this list over the next few days, so stay tuned.

Summer Game Fest 2026 highlights: 16 games coming to PS5

O’Dell Harmon Jr. (he/him) — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:29:59 +0000

The summer continues to be an exciting time for big game announcements with a new look at upcoming titles, some long-awaited release dates, and more than a few surprises along the way. Here are some of the biggest updates and reveals on upcoming PlayStation titles.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced | Coming July 9

Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Singapore | PS5

Ubisoft unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. The trailer spotlights Leave Her Johnny Resynced, a reimagined take on the iconic sea shanty by artist Woodkid. Hoist your flag and hit the high seas again in relentless pursuit of freedom.

Control Resonant | Coming September 24

Publisher: Remedy Entertainment Developer: Remedy Entertainment | PS5

We got a new look at Control Resonant, the upcoming action-RPG sequel. The latest trailer explores the game’s version of Manhattan, where Dylan Faden navigates a city transformed by paranatural forces. Players will explore diverse zones, take on story missions, side quests, boss encounters, and puzzles, while also revisiting previously unseen areas of the Oldest House from the original Control.

Crossfire | Stay tuned

Publisher: Smilegate Developer: That’s No Moon | PS5

That’s No Moon shared their debut game, Crossfire, available to wishlist now. Combining cinematic storytelling with grounded, stealth combat, Crossfire follows two enemy operators who must form a fragile alliance to overcome an existential threat.

Final Fantasy VII Revelation | Coming 2027

Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix | PS5

The final battle against Sephiroth begins as a meteor fills the sky, monstrous planetary guardians wreak havoc across the globe, and the fires of war rage. Take to the skies and explore a boundless world, fight alongside a fully assembled party, master strategic and dynamic combat, and prepare yourself for the climactic finale.

gen Atlas | Stay tuned

Publisher: Epic Games Developer: gen Design | PS5

The studio behind Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian unveils gen Atlas, a single-player open-world action-adventure. Awaken on an abandoned planet, colossal massive robots, and resume a halted terraforming project. Stay tuned for more updates.

Guild Wars 3 | Stay tuned

Publisher: ArenaNet Developer: ArenaNet | PS5

The third entry in the beloved Guild Wars action-adventure MMORPG franchise and its first new game since 2012. The game will release globally on PS5, marking the first time a Guild Wars game will appear on home consoles. The first beta tests begin in the fall of 2027.

Gundam Rogue Orbit | Coming 2027

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment Developer: Bandai Namco Entertainment | PS5

An all-new Gundam game is coming to PS5 in 2027. Suit up for humanity in Gundam Rogue Orbit, a high-mobility action game that delivers a new take on the IP, blending a fast-paced cinematic story with intense, hard-hitting combat in a new universe.

Lords of the Fallen II | Coming 2026

Publisher: CI Games Developer: CI Games | PS5

A new trailer for Lords of the Fallen II, featuring the Katana weapon class, new bosses, and locations in Thorngar. Battle against the darkness in an epic adventure across a shattered kingdom.

Mafia: The Old Country – Man of Honor (DLC) | Coming August 14

Publisher: 2K Developer: Hangar 13 | PS5

Step back into the role of Enzo Favara and work alongside Ennio Salieri in Man of Honor, an expansion for Mafia: The Old Country coming August 14. Witness Salieri’s early days in the Valle Dorata via two new story chapters and new Free Ride content.

Resident Evil Veronica | Coming 2027

Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom | PS5

Survive the terror of Resident Evil Veronica, a remake of the 2000s Resident Evil Code: Veronica. This new title preserves the essence of the original game while introducing modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds | Coming September 15

Publisher: Jagex: The RuneScape Company Developer: Jagex: The RuneScape Company | PS5

RuneScape: Dragonwilds will be available to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers at launch. On RuneScape’s forgotten continent of Ashenfall, dragons have awoken. Gather, build, skill, and craft in this co-operative survival adventure. Only by mastering survival and uncovering ancient secrets can you hope to face the ferocious Dragon Queen.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds | Coming 2026

Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega | PS5

Sega announced the release timing of the final two DLCs for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coming in July, and Avatar coming in October – and teased a new Season Pass Two, which includes Godzilla and Evangelion DLCs during Summer Game Fest.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer | Coming October 6

Publisher: Secret Mode Developer: Fuse Games | PS5

Tonight, a new story trailer for Star Wars: Galactic Racer debuted, showcasing how Kestar Bool uses his position as League Champion to threaten other pilots. In a bid to retain control over his racing league, Darius Pax enlists the help of Shade, a mysterious pilot with a personal grudge against the Bool family.

Stranger Than Heaven | Coming January 15, 2027

Publisher: Sega Developer: RGG Studio | PS5

A fifty-year, action-adventure saga of men with nowhere to go and their desperate struggle to find a home. Use extreme violence to survive, and musical talent to thrive as a showman across five cities and eras of modern Japan. Oh, and Tupac is here.

Swords of Legends | Coming soon

Publisher: Aurogon Shanghai Developer: Aurogon Shanghai | PS5

A new trailer for Swords of Legends, a single-player action RPG, offers a first look at its combat, featuring the debut of the Spirit Companion system and a boss fight against the Master of Cantrip, whose every move is staged as classical Chinese stage magic.

The Blood of Dawnwalker | Coming September 3

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment Developer: Rebel Wolves | PS5

Vampires walk out of the shadows in the latest action-packed trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker. Experience two different gameplay loops, day and night, in this open-world dark fantasy action RPG.

Stay tuned for more SGF news as we go hands-on with some of the titles revealed and share our first impressions of the games headed our way.

Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 543: State of Faye

O’Dell Harmon Jr. (he/him) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:05:55 +0000

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

Hey, everybody! Tim, Kristen, Brett, and I are back this week to discuss the latest State of Play, along with some of our favorite announcements and what we can’t wait to get our hands on. This episode also includes a special interview with the Head of Creative at Santa Monica Studio, Cory Barlog, and God of War Laufey Director Ariel Lawrence.

Stuff We Talked About

Next week’s release highlights:
- Solarpunk | PS5
- NBA The Run | PS5
- Beastro | PS5
PlayStation peripherals — Get all the new details on the FlexStrike wireless fight stick coming August 6, the 27” Gaming Monitor with DualSense Charging Hook coming August 27, and the Pulse Elevate Wireless Speakers coming later this year. Get a detailed hands-on report and pricing.
Ace Combat 8 Wings of Theve hands-on — Learn how aerial combat has evolved with air-to-sea and air-to-land combat, including a big battle with a land battleship.
State of Play — Check out all the big announcements and updates from the show, including an extended look at Marvel’s Wolverine and the first reveal of Marvel’s Wolverine, Until Dawn 2, and God of War Laufey.

The Cast

Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE

Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Share of the Week: Star Wars Outlaws

Kristen Zitani (she/her) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:10 +0000

Last week, we sent you to a galaxy far, far away to share moments from Star Wars Outlaws using #PSshare #PSBlog. The open-world adventure is available now in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog.

Here are this week’s highlights:

wingsforsmiles shares Kay staring out to a sunset with TIE Fighters in the distance

coalabr14 shares a shadowy portrait of Kay

SheikhSadi80 shares Kay and Nix riding across the surface of a lake

CaliOcelot shares Nix looking excited on the back of Kay’s speeder

RhodWulfLeon shares Kay walking down some snowy steps

KeenEyeVP shares a colorful and detailed portrait of Nix

THEME: Duality
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on June 10, 2026

Next week, share reflections, opposites, or anything that comes in pairs using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

(For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Store: May 2026’s top downloads

O’Dell Harmon Jr. (he/him) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:03:49 +0000

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. In May, Mr. Bond does it again as 007 First Light topped the Asia charts for PS5, while NTE: Neverness to Everness topped Asia’s Free to Play charts.

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

Asia	US/Canada
007 First Light	007 First Light
NBA 2K26	LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Resident Evil 4	NBA 2K26
Forza Horizon 5	MLB The Show 26
PRAGMATA	Grand Theft Auto V
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition	Minecraft
Ghost of Yōtei	Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate	Invincible VS
It Takes Two	Saros
Grand Theft Auto V	Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert	Forza Horizon 5
Gran Turismo 7	Mortal Kombat 1
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH	EA Sports Madden NFL 26
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	Mixtape
Split Fiction	Ghost of Yōtei
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight	Mortal Kombat 11
Hogwarts Legacy	Content Warning
Resident Evil Requiem	Pragmata
Resident Evil Village	Directive 8020
Diablo IV	Sea of Thieves

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

Asia	US/Canada
Red Dead Redemption 2	Star Wars Battlefront II
Devil May Cry 5	Red Dead Redemption 2
Devil May Cry HD Collection	Devil May Cry HD Collection
ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN	Batman: Arkham Knight
A Way Out	Gang Beasts
SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE	Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Overcooked! 2	Mortal Kombat X
TEKKEN 7	Minecraft
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition	Dying Light
God of War	Devil May Cry 4
Resident Evil 6	The Forest
MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD	Grand Theft Auto V
NBA 2K26	A Way Out
God of War III Remastered	Overcooked 2
Devil May Cry 4	Resident Evil 6
Batman: Arkham Knight	Castle Crashers Remastered
Need for Speed Heat	God of War
Minecraft Dungeons	NBA 2K26
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey	For Honor
UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection PlayStation Hits	Resident Evil 5

*Naming of products may differ between regions

PS VR2 Games*

Asia	US/Canada
Horizon Call of the Mountain	I Am Cat
Beat Saber	Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR	Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Enhanced Edition
Maestro	Beat Saber
Kayak VR: Mirage	Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Arizona Sunshine 2	Job Simulator
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition	Arizona Sunshine 2
Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes	Among Us 3D: VR
Metro Awakening	Moss VR
Crossfire: Sierra Squad	Zero Caliber VR

*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included

Free to Play (PS5 + PS4)

Asia	US/Canada
NTE: Neverness to Everness	Fortnite
Roblox	Roblox
Where Winds Meet (F2P)	NTE: Neverness to Everness
eFootball	Call of Duty: Warzone
Delta Force (F2P)	Marvel Rivals
Asphalt Legends	Apex Legends
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS	Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Free Access
Genshin Impact	Rocket League
Wuthering Waves	Asphalt Legends
Fortnite	Fall Guys

Hands-on report — Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

Phil Hornshaw — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:30:03 +0000

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve begins with a losing war. After a lightning strike by the Republic of Sotoa, the armed forces of the Federation of Central Usea are struggling to survive — and as an FCU fighter pilot, you’re joining the remnants of a military that’s barely holding on.

After playing through several of the campaign missions in Ace Combat 8, I got a sense of how developer Project Aces is telling its story of a desperate aircraft carrier crew trying to keep the battle going, and how you’ll rise to become a hotshot fighter ace, and a source of hope, for the embattled FCU.

The story of a war “hero”

A propaganda campaign is at the center of Ace Combat 8’s story. When you first arrive aboard the aircraft carrier Endurance, you’re introduced to the plan to keep the FCU going: a social media blitz focused on a legendary pilot known as the Wings of Theve, named for the FCU’s capital city. But in truth, the Wings is just Rex, an amiable but ordinary pilot whose job is to serve as a figurehead and whose exploits are greatly exaggerated. His true orders are to make an appearance in every engagement, and then run away and stay alive.

You join Rex as his navigator, but things don’t go well during that first mission; you’re shot down by enemy aces, and Rex is killed. But after you’re rescued, to keep the lie alive, you’re tasked with taking on the “Rex” callsign and playing the role of the Wings of Theve.

Ace Combat 8 conveys all this story through immersive, first-person cinematics that are a new choice for the series — one that Brand Manager Kazutoki Kono said was inspired by the team’s work on the PlayStation VR modes in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. The perspective adds a lot of emotional weight to Ace Combat 8, capturing the sense of struggle aboard the Endurance and the pressure of carrying the war’s morale on your back and commanding Joker Flight, Rex’s four-fighter team.

Becoming a fighter ace

Though your job as the Wings of Theve is initially just to stay alive, your presence and skills quickly change the tone for Joker Flight. When enemy fighters show up on your first mission, you quickly prove that the Wings of Theve can be more than just an inspiring ghost story.

The Ace Combat series does a good job of keeping complex flight controls simple and easy to learn, so it doesn’t feel like you need flight sim-level knowledge to become a top gun. Fans of Ace Combat 7 will be right at home with Ace Combat 8, which maintains the experience from the 2019 game, but with some new bells and whistles thanks to the PS5 Dual Sense controller. Resistance in the haptic triggers adds intensity to accelerating with R2, decelerating with L2, and executing high-G turns by holding both, telegraphing through your hands how powerful your aircraft really is.

Whether attacking other planes in the air or strafing targets on the ground, your goal is often to keep enemies in your sights long enough to lock on and fire missiles or special weapons with Circle or your machine gun with X. You can quickly swap lock-ons with Triangle to find new targets and swap weapons with Square. The controls are easy to pick up, but there’s complexity in flying your plane, and you’re going to need to build your skills to survive some of Ace Combat 8’s later sorties.

Project Aces has very much avoided fixing anything that isn’t broken when it comes to gameplay, with battles feeling fast and chaotic as you dodge incoming missiles and try to line up your guns against enemy planes. With your comrades at your wing, you can also issue orders with the directional buttons, sending them to attack a specific target, allowing them to scatter and engage at will, calling them back to cover you, or telling them to switch to any special weapons you’ve equipped them with and go on the attack.

At some points, you can also make story decisions about how the team will proceed. During one mission I played, you engage an enemy squadron filled with friends of Rex’s wingman, Professor. He asks you to avoid killing the pilots as you shoot them down, and you can choose whether to agree to that request. It doesn’t seem that your decisions will greatly alter how the story plays out, but Kono said choices like this, as well as how well you fare when you’re tasked with defending allied forces such as naval ships, can affect which characters survive into future missions and story beats.

A series of desperate battles

Ace Combat 8 shines in conveying the stakes of the war you’re fighting as your successes cause the legend of the Wings of Theve to grow — along with the hopes and expectations of your fellow soldiers.

In one mission I previewed, the ragtag FCU forces work to take down a ridiculously huge, incredibly dangerous Land Battleship. The ship, which is basically a navy destroyer combined with a tank, is nearly indestructible, and the FCU plans to use trucks loaded with bombs to try to take out its treads. Your mission is first to protect the trucks, then attack the treads.

Even on Ace Combat 8’s normal difficulty, the mission was tough — the Land Battleship is decked out with powerful rail guns, as well as anti-aircraft cannons and deployable drones. The fight takes place in a massive city center, so you not only have to dodge all sorts of incoming fire, but do your best not to crash into the buildings as well. The only hope to defeat the land battleship is for the FCU to demolish skyscrapers in the ship’s path, slowing it down and eventually trapping it.

The mission really ratchets up the scale of the war and channels the emotions felt by the FCU’s forces. Radio chatter is nothing new to Ace Combat 8, but in all the missions I played, that chatter captures the chaotic and often desperate tone of the moment, as commanders, officers, soldiers on the ground, and your wingmen all fill the airwaves, issuing orders and reacting to what’s happening.

As we arced around the land battleship, fighting interceptors and protecting the trucks, Ace Combat 8 not only used the chatter to convey critical mission info in the moment, it sold the story of frightened soldiers doing everything they can to stop an overwhelming force as they fought for their home.

It’s that storytelling, coupled with fast-paced battles and memorable characters, that make grabbing the stick in Ace Combat 8 an exciting prospect. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve hits PlayStation 5 on October 2.